Divided
by Nisa's love
Summary: They come from two different worlds. Rich and poor. Seperated by prejudice, blinded by ignorance. Will he ever realize that his world is not all it's cracked up to be? Will she ever be able to open her heart to him? all human
1. Chapter 1

Bella's point of view

Forks, Washington, was made of two different styles of people. There were the rich people, like the Cullen's, and there were people like us, poor. We were separated by a set of railroad tracks in the middle of town. The lawyers, doctors, and bankers lived on the north side of town. The teachers, farmers, and small business store owners lived on the south side. It didn't matter who you were as a person, you could be famous, the north and south siders didn't mix.

I didn't have a problem with the adults, they didn't flaunt their money, not like their kids. The Cullen, Hale, Newton, and Mallory's children were the absolute worse. The bitch squad, as my oldest brother Brent, liked to say.

I guess I should introduce myself. My name is Isabella Swan, but I prefer Bella. I'm the youngest child in the Swan family. I was adopted when I was two, by Charlie and Renee Swan. I have ten brothers and sisters, also adopted. Crazy right? Who in their right mind would adopt all those kids? Renee couldn't have children, and she wanted them more than anything. She's an elementary school teacher, so you can imagine she doesn't make much. Charlie is the police chief, also not the most well paying job. Thus, the reason we were on the south side.

All of us have worked since we were fourteen, mostly just little jobs around town. We did anything that would give us some money to get through the month. None of us minded though, we loved working, helping out. Most of the time we worked on jobs together, my siblings and I. Our family was very close, it's what kept us going our entire lives. All of my siblings are couples, it used to bother me, I used to feel like the odd one out, every once and a while I still feel that way. But my siblings have always included me. Of all my brothers I was closest to Tristan, he was the one who helped fight through everything I had been through, the one who fought for me when I gave up. Anyway, he always tells me that our family is a painting. All of our personalities are different colors, and without me, the painting would be incomplete. He's the poet of our family, I guess you could say.

He, Alyssa ( his girlfriend), and I were all seventeen, we were juniors at Forks High School. Nali, Mila, Danni, and John were all eighteen, seniors at Forks High. Brent, Kira, Danju, and Kai were all nineteen. None of them went to college, mainly because we couldn't afford it, and none of them really had any desire to go, so they said. Kira worked at the local diner, she's been a waitress there since she was sixteen. Brent, Danju, and Kai were mechanics at a car garage in Port Angeles. John and Tristan would go down and help them out when there was an overload. Danni worked at the bookstore in Port Angeles, the owner absolutely adored her, and appreciated her love of reading. During summer Alyssa worked at a day care center, perfect for her because they loved her. But during the school year she was the town babysitter. Nali, Mila, and I worked at this fancy Italian restaurant, La Bella Italia. During school we can only work on weekends though.

As I said earlier, all of my siblings are paired off. Tristan and Alyssa have been together the longest, since we were twelve. Danju and Danni were the next, then Brent and Kira, then Mila and Kai, and Nali and John were the last ones. I've only dated once, a guy named Jacob Black. We were fifteen, we dated for two months but decided it was best to stay friends. He lives in La Push, on the reservation. I see him pretty often.

**That was sort of like a prologue. Here's the start of the story.**

" Hey Bells," I heard Nali say from outside of the bathroom. I had been staring at my reflection without noticing.

" Yeah?" I answered a little absently.

" Speed it up, we have to get to work."

I cursed silently. Our boss, Mrs. Peter's, wouldn't be upset. She was an elderly woman of seventy-three, we loved her. She knew our situation at home, and wanted to help as much as possible.

I ran out of the bathroom and out of the house to the car holding all of my siblings. We owned two cars, not including Charlie's police cruiser. Renee was kind enough to take the smaller, older Camry. While all of us used the newer SUV, we needed the room. The drive to Port Angeles is only forty-five minutes, most of that was spent with all of us talking and laughing. We dropped Danni off first, then Alyssa, and then the boys dropped us off. We were still laughing when we walked in the door, where Mrs. Peter greeted us warmly.

" Kira thank goodness you're here," she to my sister, " would you mind filling in as a hostess, I'm afraid mine never showed up."

" Of course not," Kira replied with a smile.

We had the night shift which was never easy, especially since it's a Friday, and during summer too. But I have never seen the place as packed as it was tonight. And we were short two waitress, I was exhausted. I looked up and saw Kira seat a table of seven in the corner, I almost groaned, I had just cleared that table. She spotted me and walked over, her lips in a thin line.

" What's wrong?" I asked her, she didn't usually get angry easily.

" I'm sorry, but there was no other table big enough," she said wearily. I must have looked confused, because she smiled sadly. " It's the Cullens and Hales."

Now, I understood. I loved Esme and Carlisle, they were really good people, but I couldn't say the same for their children. I looked over again, I noticed that it was just Rosalie and Jasper, their parents were hardly ever around. Nali and Mila both came over, Nali with a tray of dishes and Mila with two empty cups. Kira told them was up and they gave me sympathetic looks.

" If they piss you off I'll switch tables with you," Nali said. I considered it, but I know Nali had no problem telling them off. But I was worried that she would lose her job, and we needed the money.

" I doubt they would say anything in front of their parents."

The manager came and told us to get back to work, rather rudely if I do say so. My sisters shot me one final sympathetic glance before scurrying off. I took a deep breath before I headed to the table of doom.

I saw Esme smile brightly when she saw me coming. " Bella," she greeted warmly.

" Good evening Mrs. Cullen," I nodded to Carlisle, " Doctor Cullen."

He smiled warmly at me, one I returned instantly. " Hello Bella, the kids miss you around the hospital."

I used to visit the kids in the hospital twice a week, but I had to take extra shifts so I couldn't make it anymore. " I miss them too," I said honestly, " I'll try and get a day off to go see them."

" I was actually going to call you tomorrow," Esme said, " there's a house that I'm furnishing. I was wondering if your brothers could help bring things in, and you and your sisters could maybe paint." I would love to help Esme, but all of our workloads were pretty heavy, and we couldn't risk the money or time. She must have seen this. " The family wants to pay you for your help."

I was very unaware of the eyes of her children, for the moment I didn't care. " When do you need us?" I asked.

She smiled happily. " We start the painting on Wednesday, we can't put the furniture in until that's done."

" I'll ask my sister's about there work schedule. But I have the morning shift so I can be there at two, and get as much done as possible," I agreed.

" Now that you're done given out a charity job," a smooth, arrogant voice said, " now can we get some drinks?"

" Edward," Esme said appalled.

I looked to their youngest son. Edward Cullen was the definition of the word gorgeous. He had sparkling emerald eyes, which he obviously got from his mother. His hair was copper colored that was always in a disarray. It was easy to see why every girl at school wanted him, I would be one of those girls, if I hadn't been the target of his shitty attitude. He was an arrogant jerk, who thought that the whole world was his. He could do whatever he wanted and never have to face the consequences. He was an all star jock, which just made his ego grow. As sick as it was, Forks was wrapped around his finger.

" What can I get you to drink?" I asked, I smiled stiffly.

He smirked. " What drinks do you have?" I took a deep breath, this was going to be a long night.

If I was exhausted before, I was dead on my feet now. That stupid piece of shit had me running back and forth all night. He needed more ice, his fork was dirty, his food wasn't cooked all the way! He drives me crazy! If Esme and Carlisle weren't here it would have been worse, and he sat their smiling the entire night. Not only him but his siblings and friends too. I waited until I was in the kitchen and I let out an annoyed shriek.

I heard Nali and Mila laugh behind me. " It's not funny," I said grumpily.

" I told you I'd switch," Nali said, laughter still in her voice.

" No," I sighed. " Esme has a job for us," I told them to distract myself, " painting. Starts on Wednesday."

They were both silent, going over their schedules. Nali spoke first, " I work all day Wednesday but I'll go on Thursday."

" I'm not off until Friday," Mila said.

I nodded. I would have to tell Esme. I straightened and took a breath to steady myself. I walked back out towards the table. I felt much calmer, I had a sneaky suspicion that my sisters were following me. I was concentrating on the feeling that I stumbled into the Cullen's table, causing Rosalie's drink to spill into her lap. I heard Mila try and conceal her laugh from not too far away. I wanted to snap at her but Rosalie stood up with a murderous glare.

" Look what you did," she hissed, " this dress cost more than your whole family makes in a year."

My eyes narrowed, that was a low blow. But only her little circle of friends would say something so rude. She sneered at my hurt expression, and raised her hand like she was going to back hand me. I wish she would, I had a very good knowledge of self defense. I may be sweet but if you piss me off I could easily kick Emmett's ass, and he was one big mother flipper.

" Try it Blondie," Mila said, I could feel her standing behind me. " I'll bet a hundred bucks that she'll kick your ass from here to Mexico."

Rosalie took a step forward so did Mila in response. Nali suddenly came out of no where and placed a hand on her shoulder, she didn't even look at Rosalie. " Peace sister," she said soothingly. Mila sighed, and I felt myself become calm. I opened my eyes to see Jasper, Rosalie's twin brother looking at us curiously. I was curious about the look on his face, like he recognized or realized something. He never took his eyes of Nali. I looked at her, she was smiling at Esme.

" Please excuse my sister Mrs. Cullen, she has a nasty temper," Nali smiled her charming smile, and Esme waved away the apology.

" They deserve it for being so rude," she glared at her children, then smiled back at us, " I was hoping you girls would help me out with the painting at the house."

" We would love to Mrs. Cullen," Mila said, anger under control, " I apologize for my lack of manners. Dr. Cullen, I was hoping I could speak to you about something. Do you mind me stopping by the hospital tomorrow morning?"

He looked at her a moment before smiling. " Of course not, there are things I need to speak to you about as well."

She smiled, but it didn't reach her eyes. She didn't say anything else, just turned and walked away. Nali smiled a goodbye and chased after Mila, I was tempted to do the same, but I have to get through fifteen more minutes of work. Instead I looked to Carlisle. I let my eyes ask the question. He saw it, and shook his head sadly.

My breath left me in a whoosh, I wanted more than anything to go comfort Mila. For months she's been trying to look for any information about her real father, her mother is in jail somewhere in California. Carlisle was are last hope at any kind of information. I felt tears come to my eyes. I excused myself, Nali was holding Mila as she sobbed quietly. I glanced and caught Kira's eye, she frowned at my expression, my eyes darted to Mila. She looked at her, and rushed over. I ran up at the same time Kira did, and wrapped my arms around her waist, hugging her tightly. Kira was stroking her hair gently. We were probably in full view of the entire restaurant, we didn't care. I dare anyone to mess with us.

" Our tables are clear," Nali told me quietly, " go clear yours. And call the boys please." I nodded, forcing myself to let Mila go.

I wiped my eyes, and walked towards the table. I handed the check to Carlisle, he grabbed my hand and squeezed it tightly, I nodded, I would pass his sympathy along. Esme looked heart broken, we told her almost everything about our lives.

He handed it back, he always left exact change, for some odd reason, so I didn't bother to look inside. I tried to clear the table with shaky hands, but I felt someone staring at me. I looked up and saw Jasper, he had his head tilted to the side, like he was trying to figure something out. He frowned and shook his head a little, then he smiled at me. Not one of the smirks or sneers he usually shot at me, just a smile, a tiny one that made his eyes seem brighter. He laughed to himself and shook his head again, before he walked out the door.

I would think about that later. I pulled my phone out of my back pocket, and dialed Tristan's number. He picked up on the second ring. " Hey Bells," he greeted, " you guys ready?"

I would explain to him later. " Tristan put Kai on the phone."

He heard the urgency in my voice, and thankfully didn't ask questions. " What's wrong?" he asked, worry evident in his tone.

" Kai," I said slowly, " Mila needs you."

There was a moment's pause. " I'm on my way." And he hung up.

One thing I will always admire about the relationships of my siblings, they just knew. They knew when their partner needed them. They never asked questions, they never hesitated, they were just there. The couples aren't the only ones who feel this strange connection, it's all of us. It's weird because none of us are blood related, but we are closer than anyone I have ever met. We love each other, we need each other, we are a part of each other. Our family is one.

In ten minutes, my family was rushing into the restaurant, with Kai in front. There was no way that they could pick everyone up and be here in ten minutes, not without breaking a few laws of course. We waited by the door, Mila needed Kai right now, but we would wait until she needed us too.

Nali saw him approaching, and whispered that he was here. She looked behind her shoulder and saw him. She fell into his embrace no longer able to stand. He nodded to Nali that he had her. She kissed Mila on the forehead before walking over to us. " Dr. Cullen didn't find any information on Mila's father," she informed them.

Everyone let out sad noises, they knew how much this had hurt her. I saw Mrs. Peter waving me towards her. I walked over and tried to smile. " Oh dear," was all she said. After a few moments I had to look up and see if she was still there. She was looking at Mila with sympathy. She turned back to me, and held out three white envelopes. Our paychecks. " I added some for Kira helping out," she said distantly. I nodded and walked away.

Kai was carrying Mila like a small child. We parted and Brent held the door open. The drive home was the opposite than the drive up, no one spoke. When we got home Kai carried Mila to the girl's room and closed the door quietly. We would bunk with the boys tonight.

" I'll go call Charlie and Renee," Nali said. She grabbed John's hand and walked to the kitchen. The rest of us went to the living room, and waited until we could see Mila. About fifteen minutes later Nali and John came to wait with us. All of us fell asleep in the living room.

**Ok, I've had this story idea in my head for a while and had to post it. Same characters as Hidden Fire, same background stories. Except I changed Sergio's name to John. This story is going to be very dramatic, at least as far as I can tell. Thanks for the support, I hope you like it. Any questions just message me.**

**Lot's of love,**

**Nisa **


	2. Chapter 2

Edward's point of view( drive home from restaurant)

" You children should be absolutely ashamed of yourselves," Esme scolded angrily. She had been riding our asses since we left the restaurant.

" Come on Mom," Emmett said, " we didn't do anything to them."

She turned around to shoot us with one of the most frightening glares I had ever seen. All of us sunk deeper into the seat of Carlisle's BMW. Our mother was a very gentle woman, so the fact that she even knows how to glare was shocking. Emmett looked terrified at the show of our mother's rare anger.

" Mom," Alice tried to soothe her.

" Do not start with me, Mary Alice," she snarled, " all three of you are grounded for you rude behavior. Those poor girls have enough to deal with. They don't need your snobbish attitude making things harder."

The bitterness in her voice made us cringe. Ok, so we gave them a hard time. At school it's so entertaining to see them lose their tempers. I mean, they brought excitement to the boring high school. All of us had a favorite Swan to pick on, mine was the youngest, Bella. I loved getting a rise out of her. To my mother she was sweet and innocent, but when she was around me, innocent was the farthest thing she was. I remember one time during freshman year I insulted her, she slapped me so hard I had her handprint on my cheek for a week. As much shit as we gave them, that was the only time any of them were violent. I mean sure they had been an inch away from losing it, but another Swan showed up out of no where to calm them down.

The rest of the ride was silent. When we got home, we were sent to our rooms. Rose and Jasper were staying the night, since their parents were who knows where. I took a shower and put on a CD. I replayed tonight's events through my head. I didn't know that the Swans worked there, why would they want to work anyway? They've been working since they were fourteen, the youngest age you can work legally. But even before that they did jobs around town: mowing lawns, changing oil, babysitting, running errands. I mean sure they weren't rich like us, but things couldn't be that bad, right?

I smiled when I thought about how annoyed Bella was when I made her run back and forth. Every time she looked at me I could see the tightly concealed anger in her eyes. I would just smile smugly, I knew that if my parents weren't there she would have had a few colorful words for me. I had to admit that she was cute when she was mad, her cheeks got all flushed and her eyes would sparkle with her anger.

My smile faded when I thought about the encounter Carlisle had with Bella's sister, Mila. Mila was one nasty piece of work, girl scared the hell out of me more than once. She has a quick temper and a harsh mouth, that's why I was so disturbed at the sight of seeing her break down. I felt my eyes sting as I remembered her shoulders shaking with her sobs, visible even from our table across the room. And I felt my eyes water when I remembered Bella's heart broken face.

I froze and my eyes popped open. I was puzzled by my reaction. I had never felt anything towards Bella before, except mild amusement. Why did I feel for her now? Pity. I felt sorry for her. Yes, that was what it is. I pity the fact that she's poor.

Jasper's point of view

I stood staring at the moon through the window. I couldn't sleep, all I could do was think about what had happened at dinner. The night had started as expected. Edward doing everything possible to piss Bella off, with Rose and Em joining in. Alice and I hardly ever participated in their childish games. And I had to give Bella credit, she handled their shit very well.

I couldn't get past the image of Nali calming the two sisters down, and with two simple words. I mean I know their family was close, there was no doubt about that, but there was just something that no one had realized about them, something that I recognize. I tugged on my hair and groaned in frustration. I know I had seen the gesture before, but I couldn't for the life of me remember from where.

Throwing my hands up in momentary defeat, I walked out of my room ( well my room at the Cullen's house at least) and down to the kitchen for a glass of water. I stopped when I passed by Carlisle's office, I heard him talking on the phone.

" Are you sure you didn't find anything?" he asked desperately. I suddenly wished I had vampire hearing, so I knew what the other person was saying. " Damn it! That's not good enough! This girl deserves to know something, she deserves more than just 'we tried' ." I could hear his heavy breathing, and I can hear that he was close to tears.

I leaned in closer, pressing my whole face against the wood of the door. I heard Carlisle sigh deeply. " You don't know these kids Jim," he said hoarsely, " you don't know what they've been through. All of them work as much as possible, and they still don't know if it's enough to pay the bills. These kids are eighteen going on forty. All of them are orphans, abused by their parents or they lost their parents to traumatic events. And you know Nali's story, she admitted to me that she wished that bastard had killed her. She's not the only one, all of them have said the same thing. It's not right, Jim. I don't know how they survive." The person he was talking to said something. In response he sighed gratefully. " Thanks Jim, anything you can find would help her."

I heard him hang up the phone, and his chair squeaked when he sat back in it. And then I heard something that I have never heard from Carlisle before, I heard him cry. The sound alone brought tears to my eyes, and then the knowledge of what Carlisle had said made them pour down my face. I put my hand over my mouth to muffle the sound, and then I ran downstairs. I didn't make it past the staircase.

My head was buried in my hands when I felt someone place their hand on my shoulder. I looked up and through my tears I saw Esme's worried face. I let her help me up and walk me to the couch, where I sank in the cushions. She wrapped her arms around me and held me as I cried.

Alice's point of view

I snuck across the hallway to see Jasper, but he wasn't in his room. So I walked downstairs to see if he was in the kitchen. I paused when I heard him talking to Esme. " I overheard Carlisle on the phone, talking about the Swans," he said. His voice was hoarse, like he had been crying, the very thought made my heart ache. " You know what they've been through, don't you?"

I heard my mother sigh deeply. " Oh yes," she said sadly, " they've told me a lot. And Carlisle has shared what he knows as well."

Their conversation, and the tones in which they spoke, made me sit at the top of the stairs. I could hear them clearly enough, I just wish I could see their expressions.

" Can't we help them? I mean, at least financially," Jasper's voice shook, something that scared me.

" Oh we've tried," Esme said, with a chuckle, " but you have to understand something about them. The Swans are proud, not vain, but they would never borrow money that they couldn't pay back. They're a strong family, they rely on each other. And to be honest they don't trust anyone, they would rather lose their house than ask for help from the rich in this town. You think we don't know what you do to them at school? You think that we don't know how they are treated?" Her voice took on an acidic tone that made me wince, I can only imagine what her face looked like. " We know. Not because they told us, but because we've seen it first hand. From the Mallory and Newton children. And we want to interfere, but we don't."

" Why not?" Jasper asked.

" Because they asked us not to," she replied.

That was where their conversation ended. I walked back to my room and stared at my ceiling. So the adults knew how they were treated. And they didn't do anything, because the Swan children asked them not to. But why would they do that? Why would they endure that?

And what did Jasper mean when he said " help them financially"? I know that they had trouble, but could it really be so bad? That could explain them working themselves to death. They were just trying to make some money. I sat up, and looked around my room. I felt shameful, how much had this stuff cost my parents? How much do we waste?

I remembered the image of the Swan sisters holding each other. It was heart breaking, but it was mesmerizing as well. To see them comfort each other, to hold each other together, simply by being there. You could see their fierce protectiveness when Mila nearly jumped Rose. And you could see how they connected on a deeper level than what it seems, when Nali calmed them both down with a few soothing words. And then I realized that out of all the girls, Nali was the only one who did not cry. You could see that she felt her sister's pain, but she still did not cry.

" _The glue that keeps the puzzle together," I thought._

With a sorrowful sigh I laid down and closed my eyes. And I dreamed of a place where money didn't matter.

Bella's point of view ( next morning)

I woke up when I heard rustling in the kitchen. I sat up and rubbed my eyes sleepily. My back was sore from sleeping on the ground. I had to smile at the sight before me. Eight grown teenagers spread out across the living room was an interesting picture. Tristan's head was on Danju's leg, Kira's head was on Brent's stomach, Alyssa was sleeping right by John's feet, and I was between John and the couch. When I looked up, the only one who could have possibly had a decent night's sleep was Danni, she was curled up on the corner of the couch with a book in her hand. I shook my head, the only smart one out of the bunch.

I stood up quietly and headed for the kitchen. I paused and looked up the stairs, debating if I should go check on Mila. But I shook my head and went into the kitchen. Nali was running around getting everything ready for breakfast, I could tell she had been up for a while. She had a frying pan full of eggs, a plate with bacon and sausage, and a small stack of waffles. I chuckled at the overflow of food. She spun around with a cup of pancake mix in her left hand, and the pan in her right. I laughed loudly at her bewildered face.

She glared at me and said to be quiet. " How long have you been up?" I asked her, humor still thick in my voice.

She turned back to the stove to begin making the pancakes. " Never went to sleep."

My smile faded slowly. Nali was an insomniac, has been ever since she was first adopted. She said it usually doesn't bother her, but every once in a while you can see her fatigue. " So the new medicine isn't working?" I asked her softly.

Nali hated taking pills, she's afraid of getting addicted to prescription drugs. I once asked her why she would be scared of that, she simply said that she had seen the effects before. I know it wasn't her, Nali would never do drugs, I can only assume that it was a family member.

She sighed, I could hear that she was tired. " No," she said softly, " The doctors have done all that they can do."

" You can't give up," I told her quickly.

She turned around and smiled at me comfortingly. " It's going to be ok," she told me, her eyes showing her truth, " and think of what we can do with the extra money. You girls can go shopping, or something."

" We aren't going to waste that money on clothes," Danni said from behind us. She voiced my own opinions. She was leaning against the door frame, still trying to get over the sleepiness. " How's Mila?" she asked.

" She's fine," a voice from behind Danni said. I looked over her shoulder and saw Mila, besides her slightly puffy eyes, you wouldn't know anything was wrong. She smiled tiredly.

" Hey sister," we greeted. We glanced at each other and laughed, amazed at how in tune we were.

" Nali, do you mind if me and Kai eat upstairs?"

Nali smiled and pointed to the counter near the door. On a tray was two glasses of orange juice, and plate with waffles and bacon, neither one of them liked sausage. Mila smiled brightly and blew us all a kiss before she headed back upstairs. I felt a huge weight lift off my shoulders, the room seemed lighter now that we knew that she was ok.

Danni snatched a glass from the cabinet and poured herself some apple juice, I did the same. " Food's ready," Nali called. There was a moments pause before you heard loud footprints heading for the kitchen. Brent was at the front, but Alyssa was close behind him pushing him out of her way. It was hilarious to see the biggest and smallest fighting to get to the food.

When everyone was seated, Alyssa and Brent in front of each other glaring dangerously, we grabbed hands to pray. None of us were hardcore Christians, we believed, how could we not after what we had been through? And at times, when things got hard, we thanked whatever force that was behind our fates for bringing us together.

Nali was still by the stove making sure we had enough food. The rest of us were eating happily and talking. None of us reacted when we heard someone knock on the front, Nali went to answer it.

I heard her let out a startled 'oh'. " Um," she said uncertainly, " good morning ,Jasper," she said politely.

That certainly got all of our attentions. The clattering of our silverware stopped as we stared wide eyed at each other. No one, and I mean no one, from the north side ever came our way. Sure, some lawyers or doctors had to come visit clients, but no one ever came willingly. Hundreds of possibilities ran through my head as to why he was here.

" Good morning, Nali," he replied smoothly, " Carlisle sent me to speak to Mila."

That made us frown, and the boys tensed. There was no way that Carlisle would send someone else to talk to us. Nali must have thought the same, because she didn't reply for a couple of minutes. I can picture her face as expressionless as she decided on what she was going to do.

" Then please come in," she invited. There was an unusual tightness to her voice, like she was expecting something to happen. We heard her close the door softly, and held our breaths as we listened to their approaching footsteps.

Nali came in first, giving us all a warning glare to be polite. When Jasper came around the corner he gave us a shaky smile. The girls are the only ones who attempted to smile, the boys just settled for staring.

" Dude," Brent said, " are you lost?" I couldn't help but giggle, apparently neither could the rest of us. Nali went over and hit him over the head with a spatula she grabbed from the counter. He groaned. " Oh come on," he whined, " everyone was thinking it."

" Everyone had the manners not to say anything out loud," she scolded. She looked like she was embarrassed at our behavior. And it's not just because he has money, she reacts the same way when we have anyone over.

We were surprised when we heard Jasper chuckling quietly. His eyes were shining when we looked at him, as if he thoroughly enjoyed seeing our banter. He didn't seem to be uncomfortable, which was unexpected seeing as how different things were. I could have imagined it, but it seemed like he was looking at us with longing in his eyes. Maybe he wanted a family like ours, but doesn't he have everything already?

" You said Carlisle sent you?" Alyssa asked, trying to fill the silence. She was looking at him curiously, her usual bright smile seeming to light the room. He looked momentarily lost at her friendliness, he probably expected us to be hostile.

" He asked me to give Mila a message," he said. His voice was calming and subdued. He kept his eyes on the floor, afraid to look us in the eyes.

We looked at each other, trying to see if there was some hidden meaning behind this. Nali stared at Jasper, trying to find some flaw with his visit. We all looked to her, for some reason we always looked to her for decisions. I think it was because she was so level headed, and even though she wasn't the oldest, it seemed that she was the wisest. Finally she turned toward the stairs and called Mila down. She bounced down seemingly much better than yesterday, she smiled at all of us, but lost it when she saw Jasper.

" Huh," she said, " I was wondering why you guys had gotten so quiet."

There was a sudden awkward silence. " Is Kai still asleep?" Danju asked, the were really close.

" Yeah," she said, momentarily forgetting Jasper's presence, " I kept him up late last night."

" Doing what?" Brent asked suggestively.

" Brent!" We all exclaimed together. Several pieces of food were thrown his way. He laughed heartily and grinned widely while shrugging.

" Carlisle sent Jasper to give you a message," Nali told Mila, getting everyone focused.

Mila folded her arms and leaned against the counter, she nodded tightly for him to continue. He took a step forward and the boys jumped to their feet. Jasper backed away raising his hands in apology. Nali raised her hand, and the girls grabbed the arms of their boyfriends. Nali stepped forward and placed herself between Jasper and us. She gave us another glaring warning, before she encouraged Jasper to continue. He glanced at us anxiously before he began to talk.

" Carlisle says that he hasn't found anything, which he suspects you already know," Mila nodded at what he said, " but he wanted me to assure you that he's not giving up. He says that he's pulling more sources to see if they can find anything."

Mila was quiet for a few moments, her head was bowed as she thought over what he said. She breathed in deeply before looking up at him. " Do you know what he's looking for?" she asked hesitantly.

" No," he answered, there was nothing but sincerity in his voice. She stared at him for a long moment before nodding.

" Thank you Jasper," she said softly, " please give my thanks to Carlisle as well."

He nodded, and she smiled slightly before walking back upstairs. There was silence. Jasper didn't realize that Mila had done more than just thank him, she accepted him as a friend. That may not seem like a huge deal, but Mila hated the rich kids in town, it didn't matter how nice they were.

It wasn't just me who realized this, my whole family did. And the thing about us, if one accepted you then so did the rest. Again we looked at each other, not really sure how to proceed.

Tristan coughed a little awkwardly. " So," he said, " would you like some breakfast?"

Jasper looked shocked, he looked to each of our faces, making sure all of us agreed. This time we smiled at him with no hesitation. He smiled back, the widest grin I had ever seen from him. He accepted and sat down. We all took a second to adjust before we got back to eating.

And it was as if nothing had happened. We went back to joking around and laughing. It didn't take jasper very long to jump in. and suddenly he didn't matter who he was, he didn't matter that he was rich. Right here, right now, he was just another kid who needed a family. He was just a kid. He was just like us.

**Well there ya go. I really want this story to do good, but if you want to express concerns please don't be afraid to tell me. **

**Lot's of love,**

**Nisa **


	3. Chapter 3

Jasper's point of view

I had never had as much fun as right now. My family never ate any meals together, well except for when me and Rose went to the Cullen's house. And they were so comfortable, something that me and Rose fought to have. Don't get me wrong, I love my sister, we just didn't have the relationship that the Swans have. They never stopped talking, and if they ran out of things to say they just did something stupid that would set off a round of laughter. This is what I've always wanted, a family.

Everyone paused at the sounds of footsteps coming down the stairs, we turned and saw Mila smiling brightly. She literally bounced down the stairs and hopped into a bar stool, Kai walked down behind her, but froze when he spotted me. I guess Mila didn't tell him I was here. He just stood there looking at me with mild curiosity.

" How long was I asleep?" he asked.

The question made everyone laugh, but they stopped when he didn't join them. Mila leaned over and wrapped her arms around his shoulders. He didn't take his eyes off me.

" Kai," she said to him, she growled when he didn't respond. She jumped off the stool and stood in front of him, hands on her hips. He looked down on her, and I could see that the posture made him cringe. I bet that's how I looked when Alice took the same pose. " He's my friend Kai," she said. My eyes widened at how protective she sounded.

He looked at her, eyes narrowed. " He's Jasper Hale," he growled, " the same person who makes fun of you constantly."

I leaned back in my chair and looked away. Remember when I said that me and Alice hardly ever participated in Edward's immature ways? Well, it wasn't always that way. Mainly our freshman year, me and Alice were just as nasty as anyone else, but we got over it at the start of our sophomore year, when we realized that we weren't any better than they were. Of course, we said a lot of things before we actually realized this.

I looked straight into his glaring eyes, and stood up. " You're right," I said to him, " I am Jasper Hale. I have made fun of you. But I've grown up." He was still glaring, but it had lost some of its intensity. " I realize that you don't trust me, I don't blame you, but give me a chance, because I can guarantee you I'm not the same person I was."

After a few minutes his eyes lost the glare and he smiled at me. He just turned around and grabbed a piece of toast. " You fat ass," Nali suddenly cried. That officially broke any kind of tension that was left in the room.

It was so strange to see how they lived. I'll admit that when I've seen them around town I would wonder how they lived. I never expected this. I certainly never expected them to be so happy, I never expected them to laugh so much, I never expected them to accept me. I had a sneaking suspicion that Carlisle sent me over here for a reason, to open my eyes.

A phone suddenly started ringing, singing I'm too sexy. Everyone rolled their eyes. " Brent," they said together. I laughed at their reaction. Brent just shrugged and smiled.

" Hello?" he answered, humor still in his voice. " Hey Brian," he greeted. I looked at Bella, she saw my confusion and whispered that it was his boss. I nodded in understanding. " Yeah, we'll be there in about an hour to an hour in a half." He hung up and sighed deeply. " He offered overtime, and extra payment for you guys too," he looked at the other boys. They nodded and headed upstairs, rather reluctantly.

Alyssa sighed. " It was supposed to be their day off," she grumbled. " I guess I'll head to the daycare early."

Danni sighed as well shrugging. " I guess I can do inventory at the bookstore."

They both trudged up the stairs grumbling. " I can get a head start on those errands Mrs. Johnson asked me to do." She too disappeared. It was just me, Bella, Nali, and Mila. The laughter suddenly left the room.

" If you guys don't like working overtime, then why do it?" I asked curiously. They all turned at me, first seeing if I was making some joke, but when they saw that I was just curious their expressions softened.

" Don't forget where you are rich boy," Mila said, despite the words, she said it with affection. Her face turned slightly serious. " Do you know if Carlisle will be at the hospital?" she asked me.

I nodded. " He works until four."

She nodded. I could tell she was still hurting. Bella saw it too, she quickly got up. " Mind if I go with you?"

Mila glared at her. I guess she didn't like the sympathy, I admired that. Bella rolled her eyes. " Don't be conceited," she told her, " I'm not going for you. I miss seeing the kids."

I could tell Mila didn't believe her, but I could see a faint trace of relief hidden in her eyes. No matter how tough she acted, she was still vulnerable. Mila finally nodded that she could go. Bella smiled brightly and disappeared up the stairs with Mila. It was just me and Nali left. She smiled and shook her head.

She stood up and started to clear the table. I got up to help her. She gave me a shocked look. " Don't think just because I'm a rich boy means I don't know how to clean." I told her, she laughed embarrassed at her behavior.

It took all of five minutes for us to clear the table. Just as we put the last dish in the sink, we heard a ton of footsteps running down the stairs. Everyone came in a single file, still adjusting clothes. " What do you guys want for dinner?" Nali shouted.

" Pizza," Brent said, he was the first one out.

" Spaghetti," Kira said.

" Burgers," Kai said.

" Hot dogs," Mila said.

" Chicken," Danju said.

" Enchiladas," Danni said.

" Pot roast," Tristan said.

" Chinese," Alyssa said.

" Love ya Nali," Bella said. I laughed loudly at her response, she was oblivious to everyone else. She looked puzzled, but smiled at me anyway, hurrying after Mila.

John, Nali's boyfriend, came down the stairs last. He gave her a kiss on the forehead, and gave her a look so intense that I had to turn away. When I looked back up, I could tell he really didn't want to leave. But outside whoever was driving, and I suspected that it would be Brent, honked the horn impatiently. " I love everything you cook," he told her.

" Yeah you better say that," she said as he left. I could hear his laughter until he got in the car.

She sighed, turning away from the window as soon as they left. I couldn't help but notice at how motherly she was, just like Esme. And for a moment, just a moment, I could see how broken she was. The was she hugged her arms around her body, like she was trying to keep herself from falling apart. Her eyes glazed over, and she seemed to be looking at something far away. I remembered what I heard from Carlisle's phone call last night. _"She wished that that bastard had killed her."_ I could not help but look at her and wonder, what happened?

Suddenly, as soon as the look appeared, it went away. She turned and smiled at me, no hint of sadness in her eyes. " Looks like it's just you and me," she said.

Five minutes later

Apparently I'm too slow for the almighty cleaner! She kicked me out of the kitchen. Literally! And said to stay out of her way. Then something about being a man and watching Espn and beating my chest like an ape. Her words not mine. So here I am, I was banned from the kitchen.

I was looking around at all of their pictures. There were tons of them, more than I think I have in my entire house. They were smiling like crazy in all of them, some were of the whole family, in some they were all mixed up. You can tell by the pictures who's close. I smiled at a picture of them a the beach. None of them were looking at the camera, it looked like they were beating each other up, of course they were laughing hysterically while they were doing it. I laughed quietly and shook my head.

I paused when I saw a picture of a girl I had never seen before. She looked like she was around seven, light brown hair and dark brown eyes. She was smiling, you could see her eyes sparkling. There were a few others with her in them, they were all a lot younger in them.

" That's Jordan," I jumped in surprise.

I turned around to see Nali leaning against the door frame looking at the picture. She was smiling sadly. " I've never seen her before," I said.

She looked at me. " She left before you moved here. She was adopted into the family when she was five, her mother was a meth addict. She stayed here until she was seven, before her father took Charlie and Renee to court, he wanted custody." Her eyes flared with anger and disgust. " The court ruled in his favor, he was a fireman, " a good responsible man", according to the social worker." She rolled her eyes, and I could see her anger growing.

" What happened to her?" I asked, part of me knew that something horrible had happened.

" Six months after they took her away, we got a phone call from the social worker. Her father had locked her in the closet and set the house on fire, she died from the fumes. Her father claimed that he wasn't home and the fire was an accident, the police believed him." I gasped in horror, how could they think that? She nodded and smiled without humor. " I had never seen Charlie so mad, he drove all of us to Colorado-that's where they lived- and we demanded that he be charged with murder. They said we didn't have probable cause, at least not until we told them that she was abused."

I didn't know what to say. I had never heard anything so horrible before. What disturbed me was how Nali was acting. She was sad but it seemed like she had heard worse. That made me think, I didn't know how they lived before they came here, I don't think anyone knew, minus Carlisle and Esme. Oh god, what happened to these kids?

" He was eventually convicted, life in prison without the possibility of parole." She snorted in contempt. " The only justice we've ever seen." She suddenly smiled and laughed. " Danni nearly killed the social worker." She shook her head while laughing.

I looked back at the picture of the little girl. Was this what their lives were like? Were all of their lives just as tragic and unfair? My life looked like a fairytale compared to this. " She's beautiful," I whispered.

" Yes," Nali agreed, " she was." There was a very thick silence between us, and I didn't know how to break it. Finally Nali sighed, and I forced my eyes away from the picture. " I was coming to tell you that I need to go to the grocery store."

" I can drive you," I offered.

She laughed loudly. She turned around and grabbed a jacket. " I hope you have a big trunk," she sang, laughing again.

" What do you mean?" I asked shakily.

At the market

I couldn't remember the last time I actually came to the market. I found that I was very excited, I was almost bouncing up and down, I reminded myself of Alice. Nali was looking at me like I was crazy, I just grinned widely. She shook her head staring at me amused. I was following behind her when she told me to grab a basket.

I stopped completely lost. She turned around and looked at me with a shocked expression. " Oh ,young grasshopper, you have much to learn."

She literally dragged me to where the shopping carts were. She then proceeded to lead me through every aisle, grabbing random items. We had a huge argument in the cereal aisle. " I do not comprehend," I said for the hundredth time.

" What don't you understand?" she asked completely frustrated. " The cereal in the bag is the exact same as the box, it's just cheaper!"

I know I was being dramatic, but seriously, there was no way that cereal in a bag was the same as the one in the box. I put my hand over my heart and gasped, " Lies!" Ok, I admit that time was just for fun.

Nali threw her hands in the air and stomped into the next aisle. I laughed like a villain from some cheesy cartoon. I don't know why but I absolutely loved it. I went to follow her when I ran into another cart. I started to apologize when I saw that it was Esme.

" Jasper?" she asked disbelieving.

I wanted to roll my eyes at the subtle insult, but I knew she'd probably just smack me upside the head. And trust me, she's stronger than she looks. She was still staring at me, eyes wide and jaw hanging open. I smiled, and was about to greet her when Nali came out of no where. " Hello Esme," she greeted with a wide smile.

Esme finally moved her shocked eyes to look at Nali. "Ah," she said nodding, " if anyone could get one of my kids into the grocery store, it would be you." I smiled softly at her calling me one of her kids, I wish Esme had been my mother. I hardly even know my real mother, I see her maybe five weeks out of the year. Not that I minded, if I had it my way I would be living with Esme.

" Of course," she patted my head like a dog, " I needed some muscle."

She laughed, throwing her head back, I had never seen her laugh so freely before. She was smiling so big and I think I even saw her eyes sparkling. I had never seen Esme like this, I had never seen her quite so relaxed. There are so many things I had never seen or noticed before now, how long have I been blind? How long until they finally get something good in their life? How long until this stupid town realizes what they've done? How long until they open their eyes?

Growing up in this town, you're taught to pity the ones from the other side of the tracks. You're taught not to associate with them, taught to believe that you are better than them. We were raised to believe that they were nothing like us. If you hear something long enough, you start to believe it yourself. I'm not saying it's right, but we don't know any better. We would get into trouble if we were caught with the south siders, we would be called disgraces to our family.

They avoided us too, only for different reasons. We give them a lot of shit, not just the Swans but everyone from that side of town. They avoid us, because even when we insult them, they can't do anything to us. We hold their entire lives in our hands, we can choose whether or not they get paid for their work. And it's sick, and it made people who have that power sick as well.

There are very few people who realize that we are all equal. A handful of individuals who look past what we've been taught and realize what life is like on the other side of the tracks. But there is the majority, my family included, who still believe that they are superior. All I have to say to them, is that I seriously hope that they don't pick a fight with a Swan.

" Jasper!"

I looked up startled to Nali looking at me with worry. I looked around and saw that we were already out of the store. I must have been thinking for a while. Nali was still looking at me like she was afraid I'd start foaming at the mouth or something. I gave her an exaggerated eye roll to show her I was okay.

She smiled, but her eyes were still tight with worry. " I thought I lost you there for a minute."

I could see the seriousness in that statement. I smirked at her. " Not worried about me ,are you?"

She rolled her eyes. " Why would I be worried about a rich boy? I was just scared that I was gonna have to lug all these groceries home."

I grinned at her. " Wouldn't want that."

She gave me a sly look. " So you ready for this?" she asked.

I looked at her confused. " Ready for what?"

" I'm about to give you your first cooking lesson," she said. She walked away before I could respond.

I looked at the sky. " Someone save me."

**Well, I don't know if you guys like this story, but I really do. I hope you do to. **

**Lot's of love,**

**Nisa **


End file.
